What the Hell Happened to GGG?

Look, I'm just gonna say it - what the actual hell is happening with POE2? I've sunk thousands of hours into this game, grinding through countless leagues, and I feel like GGG has completely lost the plot with the sequel.

Remember the good old days? When we could zoom through maps, watching screens full of mobs explode in a satisfying loot piñata? When the dopamine hit from seeing that exalt drop made all the grinding worth it? Yeah, those days are apparently over because Chris Wilson and the team decided that "slow is better" and "punishment is fun."

I'm not even joking - have you SEEN the combat in the preview builds? It's like they looked at what made POE amazing and thought "nah, let's do the opposite." Every boss fight feels like a damn Dark Souls encounter now, except without the satisfaction. One mistake and you're done. Back to the checkpoint, exile!

And don't get me started on the rewards system. They've somehow made the loot WORSE while making the game HARDER. Make it make sense! I'm out here getting one-shot by random rares while the best drop I've seen in hours is a chaos orb. The risk-reward balance is completely borked.
The crazy thing is the community has been screaming about this since day one of the reveals. The forums, the subreddit, Twitch chats - we've all been saying the same thing. But GGG just keeps doubling down on this "vision" they have. It's like they're making a game for some imaginary player base instead of the millions of us who actually supported them for years.

Listen, I get it. Sequels need to evolve. But there's a difference between evolution and complete identity crisis. They could've kept the zoom-zoom gameplay we all love while adding more depth. They could've given us challenging content without the brutal punishment mechanics. They could've respected our time investment with actual rewards.
Instead, we're left wondering if the GGG that made the game we fell in love with even exists anymore. Did they get body-snatched? Did they forget why people played POE in the first place?

Unless they pull a 180 on this whole "slow = strategic" nonsense, POE2 is gonna launch dead on arrival. And that's heartbreaking for someone like me who's spent so many years in Wraeclast. It's like watching your favorite band suddenly start playing country music - technically they can do what they want, but it's not what I signed up for.

I just want my ARPG power fantasy back. Is that too much to ask? Come on, GGG. Wake up.